Construction Consultants
Home Page Construction Consultants Quantity Surveyors Careers in Construction Quantity Surveying Construction Dispute Resolution	Construction Consultants - National Commercial Services UK National Commercial Services specialise in the following areas Construction Consultants Careers in Construction Quantity Surveyors Construction Dispute Resolution Quantity Surveying NCS are a leading firm of Construction Consultants based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, with other offices throughout the UK and in Seoul, South Korea. Areas of expertise include quantity surveying, contractual claims, commercial management, planning, project management, commercial and contractual advice, extension of time, programming and quantum evaluation, document preparation, presentation of case, further and better particulars, statement of case, negotiation and settlement, assistance with partnering and problem avoidance, assistance with dispute resolution procedures including arbitration, adjudication, mediation, facilitation and litigation. NCS also have close links with other construction consultants, professional individuals, companies and bodies working in construction or associated fields. These include solicitors, barristers, advocates and other legal practitioners, Architects and Engineers, planning engineers, programming engineers, computer and IT specialists, quantum experts, geologists and soils experts. The term 'consultants' and their role in the construction industry has changed over the years. At one time, the perception of consultants tended to be of very senior professionals brought in for specific reasons at particularly critical moments. They were often highly experienced (perhaps semi-retired) consulting engineers, architects or partners in quantity surveying practices sometimes with expert knowledge, able to advise, give opinions, represent or even mediate. However today's construction consultants cover a much wider area of expertise at all levels of the construction process. Consultants can vary from freelance engineers and surveyors, through specialist QSs and claims consultants, to discipline oriented experts. At senior levels there has been a significant increase in litigation and the involvement of the legal profession in construction disputes, creating a need for support and advisory staff able to furnish detail and supply labour and other skills. This can often not be provided from retained staff of construction companies because the involvement is often extensive and open-ended. One reason for the growth in consultancies (in line with the growth of service industries generally) is that Consultants are a convenient and efficient method of outsourcing for many Contractors, developers, authorities and others working in the Construction Industry. Consultants are able to concentrate on specific problem areas and tasks for companies whose own staff are unavailable or unsuitable. They can supply extra skills and expertise to a situation and relieve pressure on in-house staff under pressure. The Employer is able to draw on a pool of qualified expertise whenever he needs to, without the cost of retaining such resource on a full-time basis. Construction Consultants can be used in a flexible way by Main Contractors, subcontractors and others, responding to crisis situations rapidly and effectively, deploying quantity surveyors, consultants and specialists as individuals or in teams, at short notice and minimising cost when the work is complete by being able to stand them down promptly without the complications of notice periods and severance arrangements. Consultants are able to get straight into a project in a detached and dispassionate way and are able to concentrate 100% of their working time on the particular task in hand without the distractions often inevitable for employed personnel. Construction consultants are therefore often able to provide clients with a more efficient service than in-house staff. Consultants tend to be flexible and adaptable. They are highly skilled in their particular discipline and can operate on site during live contract situations, or off-site in their own offices or in clients' offices either during the currency of the contract or afterwards. Consultants may be brought in to deal with a specific problem, perhaps to advise on a particular contractual difficulty or argument, or provide a specialist opinion. Alternatively, they can be used for medium-term or long-term engagements or appointments thereby providing the client with a commitment from start to finish if that is what is required. Another aspect of the flexibility of construction consultants is found in the method of payment and remuneration. Payment is often made on a day-rate basis or consultants can be paid by the hour, the week or the month. In some cases it is appropriate for fees to be paid on a contract basis for successfully achieving completion of the brief, perhaps with a retainer, depending on the duration of the contract. There is also scope for bonus arrangements or profit sharing whereby targets are set at the beginning of the appointment and payments made for achieving time or financial targets on a sliding scale against the target sums or dates. On occasion, this can allow daily or weekly rates to be adjusted for work done during the course of the contract, balanced by the incentive of bonus payments for achievement at the end. Companies such as NCS are able to operate in the above ways in the fields of quantity surveying and commercial consultancy. NCS have a capability throughout the UK in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and overseas in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Far East, Australasia and North America on all types of construction projects.
Home Page  Quantity Surveying   Careers in Construction   Quantity Surveyors Construction Consultants   Construction Dispute Resolution   National Commercial Services 22 Dam Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6AA - UK Phone: 01543 418480   Fax: 01543 419110   Email: gk@ncs.u-net.com